Trabuco Max 4 vs Peregrine 15

The Trabuco Max 4 is ASICS at its most cushioned: a max-stack trail running shoe built for long days on your feet rather than chasing fast times. With a tall, soft platform underfoot it soaks up rocky, root-strewn ground and keeps your legs fresher deep into an ultra or a back-to-back training block. At 315g it is a properly substantial shoe, so this is not a nimble racer and it never pretends to be. What you trade in weight you get back in protection and comfort. The 5mm drop sits low for a max-cushion shoe, which keeps you closer to the ground than the stack height suggests and helps with stability on uneven terrain. It is a neutral shoe with a wide, planted base. In our view this is one to reach for when the run is measured in hours, not minutes. If you want a lighter, snappier trail option the Hoka Speedgoat 7 is the obvious rival, but for sheer cushioned comfort the Trabuco Max 4 holds its own.

The Peregrine 15 is Saucony's do-everything trail running shoe, and it is one of the most dependable grippers you can buy at this price. This is not a max-cushion ultra sled or a plated trail racer. It is a firm, planted, aggressively lugged all-rounder built to go anywhere from muddy bridleways to rocky technical climbs. With a low 4mm drop and a moderate 267g weight, it keeps you close to the ground so you can read the terrain and react fast, which is exactly what you want when the trail turns loose or steep. The lugs bite into soft mud and wet grass with real confidence, and the underfoot protection shrugs off sharp rocks. In our view this is the trail shoe to reach for if you want one pair that handles a UK winter of mixed, sloppy ground without fuss. It is a proper trail running shoe first, and a comfy cruiser second. If you mostly run hardpack and gravel, a softer ride suits you better, but for genuine off-road grip the Peregrine 15 is hard to beat.